Affiliations: Physical Therapy Program, Midwestern University,
Downers Grove, IL, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Deborah K. Anderson, Physical
Therapy Program, Midwestern University, 555 31st Street, Alumni Hall-340C,
Downers Grove, IL 60515 USA. Tel.: +1 630 515 7281; Fax: +1 630 515 7224;
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: With the physical therapy (PT) professions' advancement
to the clinical doctorate degree and the promotion of autonomous practice,
exemplary professional conduct is an expectation of the PT profession. PT
education programs are being challenged to develop methods to teach and assess
professional behavior. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-three PT students (11 male and 32 female, ages
20–28 years) completed the APTA Professionalism in Physical Therapy: Core
Values Self-Assessment (PPTCVSA) after their first 3 week clinical experience
and again after their final clinical experience. METHODS: A mixed design ANOVA compared participants' total scores
and individual Core Value scores on the Professionalism in Physical Therapy:
Core Values Self-Assessment (PPTCVSA) after 3 and 33 weeks of clinical
education. The effects of gender, age, and undergraduate area of study on
growth in professionalism scores were also investigated. RESULTS: Total PPTCVSA scores and individual Core Value scores on
professionalism (accountability, altruism, compassion/caring, excellence,
integrity, professional duty, and social responsibility) were higher after 33
weeks compared to scores after 3 weeks of clinical education. Female student's
total professionalism scores were higher than male student's scores on both the
first and second self-assessments. In addition, female students scored
themselves higher than their male peers on accountability, excellence,
integrity, and professional duty. CONCLUSIONS: Improved scores on the PPTCVSA indicate that physical
therapy education is playing an important role in the development of
professional behavior, knowledge, and application in practice.
Keywords: Core values, healthcare, professional behaviors
